Instead of throwing away all that watermelon rind, put it to good use as a pickle. It retains a lovely crunch when pickled and makes the perfect accompaniment to Chinese roast meats, especially char siu. If you want to make the pickle ahead, it will last a good two weeks in the fridge.

Ingredients

675 gm char siu pork, sliced

Pickled watermelon rind

125 gm caster sugar

400 gm watermelon rind, green skin removed, thinly sliced

80 ml (1/3 cup) rice vinegar

1 tbsp fish sauce

4 cloves

1 cinnamon quill

1 star anise

Method

Main

1

For pickled watermelon rind, bring sugar and 100ml water to the simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Combine watermelon rind, vinegar, fish sauce and spices in a bowl, add hot syrup, stir to combine, then set aside over a bowl of iced water to cool and pickle.